The Walking Dead will be back for a fourth season, but without Glen Mazzara

Suggesting that AMC regards the contributions of Walking Dead showrunners about as dearly as the show itself regarded T-Dog, The Hollywood Reporter has announced that executive producer Glen Mazzara will be leaving the show in its just-confirmed fourth season. The split has been characterized as "amicable" and Mazzara will still finish out post-production on the back half of season three, though it's worth noting that this means there will be a third Walking Dead showrunner in a mere four seasons—not to mention that it's part of a pattern of disagreements between AMC and the creative heads of its shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Hell On Wheels—which suggests AMC has got some serious control issues. Mazzara, of course, stepped in after show creator Frank Darabont was ousted, and it was under his guidance that The Walking Dead ramped up the action following its mostly inert second season. His departure comes after a "a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward," perhaps involving Mazzara saying, "We should keep killing a lot of zombies all the time—people like that," and AMC saying, "No way! That's expensive!"